Percent to decimal

Here you will learn about converting percents to decimals.

Students will first learn about converting percents to decimals in 6th grade math as part of their work with ratios and proportional relationships and will expand that knowledge to solving problems such as finding the whole given a part and the percent or finding the part given the whole and the percent.

This will later be used to find percent increase/decrease in 7th grade.

What is percent to decimal?

Converting a percent to a decimal is representing the percentage as a decimal without changing its value.

The word “percent” means one part out of one hundred, and you can use this information to express a percent as a decimal.

For example,

\begin{aligned} &25\%=0.25\\\\ &45 \%=0.45\\\\ &33.3 \%=0.33333...\\\\ &80 \%=0.8 \end{aligned}

What is percent to decimal?

What is percent to decimal?

Common Core State Standards

How does this apply to 6th grade math?

  • Grade 6 – Ratios and Proportional Relationships (6.RP.A.3a)
    Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems, for example, by reasoning about tables of equivalent ratios, tape diagrams, double number line diagrams, or equations.

    a. Make tables of equivalent ratios relating quantities with whole-number measurements, find missing values in the tables, and plot the pairs of values on the coordinate plane. Use tables to compare ratios.

How to convert percentages to decimals

In order to convert from a percent to a number in its decimal form, you need to:

  1. Divide the percent by \bf{100} .
  2. Clearly state the answer showing ‘percent’ = ‘decimal’.

[FREE] Converting Fractions, Decimals and Percents Check for Understanding Quiz (Grade 4 to 6)

[FREE] Converting Fractions, Decimals and Percents Check for Understanding Quiz (Grade 4 to 6)

[FREE] Converting Fractions, Decimals and Percents Check for Understanding Quiz (Grade 4 to 6)

Use this quiz to check your grade 4 to 6 students’ understanding of converting fractions, decimals and percents. 10+ questions with answers covering a range of 4th, 5th and 6th grade converting fractions, decimals and percents topics to identify areas of strength and support!

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[FREE] Converting Fractions, Decimals and Percents Check for Understanding Quiz (Grade 4 to 6)

[FREE] Converting Fractions, Decimals and Percents Check for Understanding Quiz (Grade 4 to 6)

[FREE] Converting Fractions, Decimals and Percents Check for Understanding Quiz (Grade 4 to 6)

Use this quiz to check your grade 4 to 6 students’ understanding of converting fractions, decimals and percents. 10+ questions with answers covering a range of 4th, 5th and 6th grade converting fractions, decimals and percents topics to identify areas of strength and support!

DOWNLOAD FREE

Percent to decimal examples

Example 1: converting a simple percentage to a decimal.

Convert 60\% to a decimal.

  1. Divide the percent by \bf{100} .

You know that the percent sign (\%) means the number is out of 100.

Therefore, if you divide the number (without the percent symbol) by one hundred, you will have the equivalent decimal without having changed its value.

60\% = 60\div100=0.6

If you are not sure how to divide a number by 100, review place value and/or dividing by powers of 10. A summary of the process is below for this example.

Percent to Decimal image 1 US

When you divide by 100, you move the digits two places to the right. The decimal point does not move.

Here you can see that the 6 has moved from the tens place to the tenths place in the first decimal place.

You can see that the 0 has moved from the ones place to the hundredths place in the second decimal place.

Therefore,

60\div100=0.60=0.6

2Clearly state the answer showing ‘percent’ = ‘decimal’.

60\% = 0.6

Example 2: converting a percentage to a decimal

Convert 8\% to a decimal.

Divide the percent by \bf{100} .

Clearly state the answer showing ‘percent’ = ‘decimal’.

Example 3: converting a percentage (involving a decimal) to a decimal

Convert 52.3\% to a decimal.

Divide the percent by \bf{100} .

Clearly state the answer showing ‘percent’ = ‘decimal’.

Example 4: converting a percentage (involving a repeating decimal) to a decimal

Convert 4.\overline{2}\% to a decimal.

Divide the percent by \bf{100} .

Clearly state the answer showing ‘percent’ = ‘decimal’.

Example 5: converting a percentage (above 100) to a decimal

Convert 145.1\% to a decimal.

Divide the percent by \bf{100} .

Clearly state the answer showing ‘percent’ = ‘decimal’.

Example 6: converting a percentage to a decimal

Convert 102.04\% to a decimal.

Divide the percent by \bf{100} .

Clearly state the answer showing ‘percent’ = ‘decimal’.

Teaching tips for percent to decimal

  • Use visual models such as hundreds grids or pie charts to illustrate the equivalence of percents and decimals and to demonstrate how both forms are ways to represent a part of a whole or a rate.

  • Use real world contexts to demonstrate how percentages can be thought of as decimals.

  • Conversion table worksheets for percent to decimal conversion have their place, but make sure that students have a conceptual understanding of the relationship between percentages and decimals.

Easy mistakes to make

  • Dividing incorrectly by \bf{100}
    Often mistakes are made when dividing by 100. The common mistakes are:
    ◌ Dividing by 10 instead of 100.
    ◌ Multiplying instead of dividing.
    ◌ Mistakes with decimals.
    Make sure you are confident with the below equations:
    Example,
    4 \div 100=0.04
    0.4 \div 100=0.004
    0.04 \div 100=0.0004

  • Not including repeating decimals in the percentages
    You need to remember to take the repeating decimal into account when dividing by a power of 10.
    Example,
    0.\overline{4} \div 10=0.0\overline{4} not 0.04

Practice percent to decimal questions

1. Convert 25\% to a decimal.

25
GCSE Quiz False

0.25
GCSE Quiz True

4
GCSE Quiz False

2.5
GCSE Quiz False

Start by dividing the percent value by 100.

 

25 \div 100

 

This gives you 0.25.

 

25 \%=0.25

2. Convert 87.5 \% to a decimal.

1.\overline{142857}
GCSE Quiz False

87.5
GCSE Quiz False

0.875
GCSE Quiz True

8.75
GCSE Quiz False

Start by dividing the percent value by 100.

 

87.5 \div 100

 

This gives you 0.875.

3. Convert 175\% to a decimal.

1.75
GCSE Quiz True

0.175
GCSE Quiz False

175
GCSE Quiz False

17.5
GCSE Quiz False

Start by dividing the percent value by 100.

 

175 \div 100

 

This gives you 1.75.

4. Convert 760\% to a decimal.

760
GCSE Quiz False

0.76
GCSE Quiz False

7.35
GCSE Quiz False

7.6
GCSE Quiz True

Start by dividing the percent value by 100.

 

760 \div 100

 

This gives you 7.6.

5. Convert 44.\overline{4} \% to a decimal.

0.4
GCSE Quiz False

0.44
GCSE Quiz False

0.444
GCSE Quiz False

0 . \overline{4}
GCSE Quiz True

Start by dividing the percent value by 100.

 

44 . \overline{4} \div 100

 

This moves the whole number digits in 44 two place value spaces to the right, placing them behind the decimal.

 

Because this is a repeating decimal with the digit 4 repeating, and now you have moved the 4’ s in the whole number behind the decimal, this means you have all 4’ s behind the decimal, repeating infinitely.

 

This gives you 0 . \overline{4}.

6. Convert 18.\overline{18} \% to a decimal.

0.18
GCSE Quiz False

0.181818
GCSE Quiz False

0. \overline{18}
GCSE Quiz True

1. \overline{81}
GCSE Quiz False

Start by dividing the percent value by 100.

 

18 . \overline{18} \div 100

 

This moves the whole number digits in 18 two place value spaces to the right, placing them behind the decimal.

 

Because this is a repeating decimal with the digits 18 repeating, and now you have moved the 18’ s in the whole number behind the decimal, this means you have all 18’ s behind the decimal, repeating infinitely.

 

This gives you 0 . \overline{18}.

Percent to decimal FAQs

How many digits do I write behind the decimal if it is repeating?

You only write the repeating sequence once. If the decimal value that is repeating is all the same digit, you can just use one digit behind the decimal with a bar over the digit. If the repeating decimal is a sequence of three digits before repeating again, you would write the three digits with a bar over all of them.

What is the difference between a multiple of \bf{10} and a power of \bf{10} ?

Multiples of 10 are the products of 10 with any other integer. Powers of 10 are also multiples of 10, but more specifically the multiples that can be expressed as 10 to the power of another number, indicating the number of times you multiply 10 by itself.

How do I know when my answer will be greater than \bf{1} ?

If your percentage is greater than 100\%, your decimal equivalent will be greater than 1.
If your percentage is less than 100\%, your decimal equivalent will be less than 1.
If your percentage is equal to 100\%, your decimal equivalent will be equal to 1.

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